Our Work

CHAP has successfully delivered Education Services in North Ayrshire for the last 13 years. We offer a variety of input to both schools and youth groups;

SCHOOLS

The project has successfully engaged with all secondary schools in North Ayrshire.
Primarily, the project intended to deliver an awareness raising session to all fourth year pupils within the schools, focusing on homelessness and leaving home. As well as this, it was envisaged that the project would also be involved in delivering a more in depth programme to young people following an alterative curriculum within the schools. This was to ensure that those who may be more vulnerable to experiencing homelessness are targeted appropriately.

The aim of the sessions is to prevent youth homelessness, raise awareness of the reality of homelessness and to destigmatise the issue. It is intended that the lessons will encourage young people to carefully consider their options before taking the decision to leave home and to enable them to identify who would be able to assist them with housing issues.

Included in the session currently delivered to fourth year PSE classes

A general overview of the severity of homelessness
amongst the youth of North Ayrshire

An interactive DVD is used in the lessons to help destigmatise homelessness

A brief overview of housing options available to young people

Examples of weekly budgets which will highlight how challenging
managing money can be and the financial reality of leaving home

Included in the sessions currently delivered to Alternative Curriculum groups

An in depth look at the process of leaving home
and who is able to assist with this procedure

An overview of the Common Housing Register Allocation Policy

An outline of the various housing providers in the local area

An examination of the reality of homelessness
and the homelessness procedure

Examples of the costs involved in having a tenancy

Explanation of rights and responsibilities as a tenant

An overview of the correct procedure for leaving a tenancy

It is hoped that the information sessions will encourage a more carefully considered route
towards independent living and will make young people aware of what help exists and how to get it,
therefore reducing the number of youth homeless presentations.

From all the pupils the project worked with in 2017 during the course of the PSE input (1341 pupils);
an overall 91%
conveyed that they found the session useful and
86% of these young people have indicated that they would
consider leaving home more carefully after receiving the lesson.

From all the pupils the project worked with in 2017 during the course of the Alternative
Curriculum input (70 pupils); an average
96% conveyed that they found the sessions useful and
88% of the young people have indicated that they would consider leaving home more carefully after receiving the sessions.

Alongside the work with fourth year pupils, CHAP can also offer delivery of our workshop to 6th year pupils, which focuses on student accommodation and the skills/knowledge that young people would require if living away from home.

It is hoped that the workshop, with related information and activities, will encourage a more carefully considered route towards independent living and will make young people aware of the difficulties/issues involved in studying away from home.

YOUTH GROUPS

When we use the term ‘youth groups’, we refer to self development programmes or vocational programmes that are offered to young people once they have left school, as opposed to traditional youth groups that are for recreational purposes.

The project currently delivers workshops on a regular basis to the Prince’s Trust.

The Prince’s Trust currently run the ‘Team Programme’ which is a 12 week self development programme for 16-25 year olds. The young people are referred through New deal, Criminal Justice System, Social Work, Education, Careers centre and the Job Centre. Young people can also self refer to the group.

The youth group input is usually delivered over either 2 half days or 1 full day (whichever is more suitable to the individual group), and this input, as with the alternative curriculum input, provides a more in depth examination of homelessness and independent living. There are various activities used in the youth group programme, with the emphasis being on experiential learning, allowing the young people to learn whilst having fun with their peers.

Methods of Delivery

METHODS OF DELIVERY

We try to ensure that as much of our delivery is as interactive as possible, since feedback from young people indicates that they gain the most from such activities. Many of these activities take the form of quizzes and games, in which young people can either work individually, in pairs or in teams. With the use of an interactive programme, we can address several learning styles and modalities, providing a rich variety of instructional approaches which can educate in the methods that students learn best. Group work and interactive materials also motivate student interaction and cooperative learning.

In the DVD that was produced, we try to tackle the issue of homelessness by showing actors converying people's experiences of this. By taking this approach, we aim to destigmatise the issue of homelessness by showing individuals whose experiences do not necessarily correspond with the stereotypical image that many people have of homelessness. Young people are generally known to enjoy the experience of multimedia and many often respond far more positively to multimedia based learning.

Feedback from Teachers regarding interactive activities

A team leader from Ayrshire College, Kilwinning said...

Very successful. Student's engaged with the sessions and got a lot from it.

A team leader from Argyle Centre Flexible Activity Agreement group said...

There was a good variety of activities.

A teacher from Ardrossan Academy said...

This is a very necessary and worthwhile exercise that has definitely raised pupil awareness of the problem of homelessness.

A Teacher from Largs Academy said...

Really enjoyed the addition of the video this year - it really challenged perceptions.

Unique Selling Points

OUR UNIQUE SELLING POINTS

We can assist to reduce the amount of homeless presentations from young people.

From all the young people the project has worked with in 2017, 98%have conveyed that they found it useful.

85%
of all young people that the project has worked with during 2017 has conveyed that they would now consider leaving home more carefully as a result of CHAP’s input.

We have over 13 years experience in the field of homeless prevention, with all secondary schools in North Ayrshire fully engaged in the project.

We adapt our workshops to meet the needs of the young people in the identified group (i.e. using visual aids to reduce the need for reading and writing).

We have a system of
continuous evaluation, with both young people and teachers/tutors being asked for their opinions on the workshops. We use these evaluations to adapt the workshops accordingly to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the young people and to guarantee that the workshops are as effective as possible.

Interactive activities are used to deliver the information, which attracts the attention of the listener. The focus is on experiential learning for the young people.

The direct work with the young people is complimented by the
youth website which we have developed. The website provides young people with a way of retrieving information and advice on various issues surrounding homelessness and leaving home.

Our Education Co-ordinator was invited to be a guest speaker at the SCSH National Leaving Home Conference in
August 2007 to give an overview of the work that we do and to be highlighted as an
example of ‘good practice’ in the field of homelessness prevention.

Feedback

FEEDBACK FROM OUR INPUT

The Education Department are fully aware of the importance in having our work evaluated as much as possible by young people and teaching staff alike. This allows us to continually develop our work and improve our delivery methods.

Below is a selection of comments we have received from both young people and teachers. For further feedback click on the links on the right of the page.

When asked if they had learned anything from the PSE workshop a pupil from Garnock Community Campus (January 2017) said...

Not all homeless people sleep on the streets.

When asked if they had learned anything from the PSE workshop a pupil from Greenwood Academy (November 2017) said...

How much responsibility it is when you move out.

When asked if they had learned anything from the PSE workshop, a pupil at St. Matthew's Academy (August 2017) said...

Anyone can become homeless for many different reasons.

When asked if they had learned anything from the Student Accommodation Workshop a pupil at Irvine Royal Academy (March 2017) said...

The responsibilities of staying in student accommodation.

When asked if they had learned anything from the Student Accommodation Workshop a pupil at Largs Academy (March 2017) said...

How to manage money - budgeting.

When asked if they had learned anything from the workshop a pupil at Princes Trust at Ayrshire College, Kilwinning (May 2017) said...

That I should wait until I know for sure that I can take care of the home and can afford it.

For further feedback click on a question to view details.

What do the young people think of our work?

YOUNG PEOPLE'S VIEW

The Education Department feel that it is important for the young
people to be involved in the future development of the work
that we do, so all young people are given the opportunity to
evaluate our input.
Hopefully the following statements from
young people show our success.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil from Garnock Community Campus (Feburary 2017) said...

You shouldn't leave home until you are 100% sure that you are able to afford it and that it is the right decision.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil at Irvine Royal Academy (March 2017) said...

To think about the pros and cons of moving out.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil at Largs
Acadeny (March 2017) said...

To save money and think thoroughly about your decision.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil at St. Matthew's Academy (April 2017) said...

That people are homeless for different reasons.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil at Arran High School (August 2017) said...

Anyone can be homeless. Don't judge people by the way they look.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil from Kilwinning Academy (August 2017) said...

It is harder to live off minimum wage than I originally thought.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil from Ardrossan Academy (September 2017) said...

Have a plan before leaving home.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil from Auchenharvie Academy (November 2017) said...

That it costs a lot of money to run a house.

When asked if they had learned anything from the lesson a pupil from Greenwood Academy (November 2017) said...

Involving Young People

INVOLVING YOUNG PEOPLE

The direct work with young people in workshops is complimented by the youth website which
we have developed. The website provides young people with a way of retrieving information
and advice on various issues surrounding homelessness and leaving home. Young people were
involved in the development of the site, and were asked for their views and opinions prior
to the site being launched.
www.chap-at-the-door.org.uk

Homelessness DVD

CHAP wanted to produce a DVD focusing on the issue of homelessness, with the assistance of young people, so we approached a local Prince’s Trust ‘Team’ programme. The young people in the Team were very enthusiastic about undertaking this piece of work and wanted to be able to convey the reality of the issue and be involved in a project which ultimately was aiming to reduce youth homelessness.

The young people were involved in both the planning and filming of the DVD, which features actors who play out the experiences of local, homeless people. It is hoped that since this DVD was developed by young people, it is more likely to appeal to the youths that we speak to and hold their attention, therefore allowing them to appreciate the negative aspects of homelessness.

The new DVD has been well received by all the schools and youth groups who have viewed it to date.

Evaluation

EVALUATING OUR WORK

The Project feels that it is imperative to ensure that the work being carried out is evaluated and altered accordingly, in order to ensure that an effective service is being provided.

There are various ways in which our input is evaluated;

TEACHER/TUTOR EVALUATION FORMS

With every class/group that is spoken to, the teacher/tutor is asked to complete an evaluation.
This evaluation is considerably detailed and asks the teacher to rate and comment on the
presentation/delivery, content and effectiveness of the lesson.

4TH YEAR PSE EVALUATION FORMS

When evaluating the 4th year PSE lesson, it is essential that the project takes into consideration the views of the young people as they are the target audience. To ensure this, each pupil who receives one of the lessons is asked to fill in an evaluation form. The evaluation form for pupils is obviously not as detailed as that for the teachers/tutors, instead it briefly asks them if they found the session useful, did they learn anything from the session, their likes/dislikes about the session, if they would think more carefully about leaving home as a result of the lesson, if the lesson has changed their opinion of homelessness and whether there is any more information they would like to see included in the lesson.

YOUTH GROUP/ALTERNATIVE CURRICULLUM EVALUATION FORMS

In order to evaluate the work that is carried out with the young people who follow an Alternative Curriculum and those from Youth Groups, all young people who receive a workshop are asked to complete an evaluation form. The evaluation form for the young people is obviously not as detailed as that for the team leaders, instead it briefly asks them if they learnt anything from the session, their likes/dislikes about the session, if they would think more carefully about leaving home as a result of the lesson, if they think the DVD was useful and whether there is any more information they would like to see included in the lesson.

In addition to the overall evaluation for the young people, the project also feels that it’s important to evaluate whether or not the young people’s perceptions/views of homelessness and leaving home have changed as a result of the input. In order to do this, the young people are asked to complete a ‘perception’ evaluation form at the start of the input which asks the young people if they think homelessness in North Ayrshire is a big problem, where would they go for help if they became homeless and also their expectations of getting their own place. These questions are then asked again at the end of the input, allowing the project to measure the effectiveness of its work. These ‘perception’ evaluations are currently only given to the young people in Youth Groups/Alternative Curriculum groups due to the time factor involved in completing them.

INDEPENDENT EVALUATION

The project also recognises the importance of having its work evaluated independently, as well as by those who receive the input. In order to do this, the Education Co-ordinator contacted the North Ayrshire Youth Council Group, which consists of representatives from each of the Secondary schools within North Ayrshire, who meet quarterly to discuss a whole range of topics relating to young people in North Ayrshire. It was hoped that the Youth Council would be able to provide the project with constructive feedback which incorporated the views of a wide range of young people from all over North Ayrshire.

The independent evaluation takes place during the summer months, when all lesson plan and resources are reviewed and amended accordingly.

As well as the afore mentioned methods, there are also other methods of evaluation;